WEBVTT 00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:03.839 I sure do love you a lot. You're my favorite 00:00:03.839 --> 00:00:06.440 people on the earth. Best church on the planet. 00:00:07.099 --> 00:00:11.119 Love and appreciate you so much. Could we open 00:00:11.119 --> 00:00:14.179 our Bibles to Matthew 11? Would that be alright? 00:00:15.900 --> 00:00:18.600 While you're doing that, let's pray over the 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:21.679 loss in our lives. Those of you who may be a 00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:25.460 guest or visitor or new here, we're asking everyone 00:00:25.460 --> 00:00:28.359 who calls the gathering their church family. 00:00:29.540 --> 00:00:31.579 Two, we've asked you to come up with a list of 00:00:31.579 --> 00:00:34.179 ten unsaved people in your life. If you don't 00:00:34.179 --> 00:00:37.280 have ten, start with what you have. And for those 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:38.659 of you who have been around, we've asked you 00:00:38.659 --> 00:00:41.039 just to put those initials up here on these magnets. 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:43.840 Nothing special about the magnets other than 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:46.359 it's just a visual reminder. Let's just pray 00:00:46.359 --> 00:00:48.939 for all these people that we love, that we want 00:00:48.939 --> 00:00:52.299 to see come to know Jesus. Father, we lift up 00:00:52.299 --> 00:00:55.820 these names. They're not just magnets on a cross. 00:00:55.960 --> 00:00:58.140 They're eternal souls that You've put in our 00:00:58.140 --> 00:01:01.880 lives. We love them. We care for them. We thank 00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:07.079 You, like Danny led us, that You allowed Your 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:09.480 body to be torn and Your blood poured out for 00:01:09.480 --> 00:01:11.519 each and every one of them just like You did 00:01:11.519 --> 00:01:15.019 for us. And so, Father, we ask whatever obstacles 00:01:15.019 --> 00:01:19.359 are in the way of them falling... on their knees 00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:22.140 before You and receiving this gift of life that 00:01:22.140 --> 00:01:25.340 You would remove them. We pray that You would 00:01:25.340 --> 00:01:29.920 give them supernatural opportunities to acknowledge 00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:32.299 You. We pray the scales would fall from their 00:01:32.299 --> 00:01:34.939 eyes. They would see their need for You. That 00:01:34.939 --> 00:01:37.439 they would be saved and that we would fellowship 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:40.280 with them for eternity. And we will not stop 00:01:40.280 --> 00:01:43.340 praying for this Jesus ever until we see them 00:01:43.340 --> 00:01:45.760 come to know You. Give us strength. In Your name 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:51.180 we pray, Amen. Amen. So last week we finished 00:01:51.180 --> 00:01:54.459 up talking about the kingdom is a kingdom of 00:01:54.459 --> 00:02:00.540 honor. I think I just saw Crystal walk out the 00:02:00.540 --> 00:02:04.700 door. As we were worshiping and I was taking 00:02:04.700 --> 00:02:07.560 the body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness 00:02:07.560 --> 00:02:11.800 of my sins, I really was convicted. At the beginning 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:14.750 of service, I made that comment about... crystal 00:02:14.750 --> 00:02:17.550 you know doing what danny said this week and 00:02:17.550 --> 00:02:20.810 mean not me last week and it was just a joke 00:02:20.810 --> 00:02:25.669 to be funny and relate to people but it was dishonoring 00:02:25.669 --> 00:02:28.490 to crystal and that's not true she shows complete 00:02:28.490 --> 00:02:32.210 honor and so i apologize to you for that thank 00:02:32.210 --> 00:02:34.530 you for loving me forgive me for being an idiot 00:02:34.530 --> 00:02:39.669 and um and i'll apologize to crystal uh in person 00:02:39.669 --> 00:02:44.830 later uh but thank you thanks for loving me You 00:02:44.830 --> 00:02:50.150 know, sometimes I do stupid things. And my wife 00:02:50.150 --> 00:02:53.090 is in child care today. There'd be a loud amen 00:02:53.090 --> 00:02:57.750 from the front row over there. We're talking 00:02:57.750 --> 00:03:02.610 about this passage in Matthew 11 where Jesus 00:03:02.610 --> 00:03:06.629 is teaching about the kingdom of heaven through 00:03:06.629 --> 00:03:12.500 the person of John the Baptist. I want to do 00:03:12.500 --> 00:03:15.159 a really brief and concise review because this 00:03:15.159 --> 00:03:19.479 is part two of last week and there were quite 00:03:19.479 --> 00:03:22.819 a few of you that weren't here last week. First 00:03:22.819 --> 00:03:25.680 of all, last week we started the service by I 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:27.819 asked for a bearded volunteer who would take 00:03:27.819 --> 00:03:33.300 off their shoes, okay? Jeremy, several volunteers, 00:03:33.460 --> 00:03:38.099 but Jeremy came up here and then we had like 00:03:38.099 --> 00:03:41.419 this very personal kind of intimate interaction 00:03:41.419 --> 00:03:44.360 where we were trying to have a visual of the 00:03:44.360 --> 00:03:47.039 one day we're going to meet Jesus face to face. 00:03:47.620 --> 00:03:51.379 And after service, my wife says to me, hey, Jesse, 00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:54.060 next time you're going to have such an intense 00:03:54.060 --> 00:03:57.419 personal interaction with somebody in which you're 00:03:57.419 --> 00:04:00.180 touching their face, you might want to let them 00:04:00.180 --> 00:04:03.259 know before you ask for volunteers. So, all right, 00:04:03.300 --> 00:04:06.400 no volunteers needed today, Jeremy. I'm sorry 00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:09.539 I touched your face. Thanks for not punching 00:04:09.539 --> 00:04:12.979 me. But the point was, Jeremy sat here in a chair. 00:04:13.099 --> 00:04:15.520 The whole point was, and this is still the point, 00:04:15.580 --> 00:04:20.120 is that you and I, no matter if you're a believer 00:04:20.120 --> 00:04:23.959 or a non -believer, the Bible clearly says that 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:28.120 every one of us will bow before Jesus and give 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:32.639 an account of our lives. And in that day, you 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:35.860 and I as kingdom people, as Christ followers, 00:04:36.699 --> 00:04:41.139 What we want to do is we want to give Jesus the 00:04:41.139 --> 00:04:44.800 return on His investment into our lives. If you 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:47.819 read the parables of Jesus, that's what He's 00:04:47.819 --> 00:04:50.139 talking about over and over again. He says, and 00:04:50.139 --> 00:04:53.019 when He and the angels come and we're before 00:04:53.019 --> 00:04:56.519 the King, we're going to give an account. He 00:04:56.519 --> 00:05:00.939 put investments into our lives. I don't care 00:05:00.939 --> 00:05:04.920 who you are, what you feel like. Jesus in His 00:05:04.920 --> 00:05:08.819 great wisdom has invested amazing, tremendous 00:05:08.819 --> 00:05:13.540 things in you. And it's not just for your benefit, 00:05:13.779 --> 00:05:17.100 it's for the glory of His name and the advancement 00:05:17.100 --> 00:05:20.699 of His kingdom. And when He returns, you and 00:05:20.699 --> 00:05:27.269 I will give Him the reward. Yes? Now, I know 00:05:27.269 --> 00:05:29.709 you can take that and say, are we getting into 00:05:29.709 --> 00:05:32.790 legalism about works? Well, if you know me and 00:05:32.790 --> 00:05:34.930 have been here for any amount of time, you know 00:05:34.930 --> 00:05:40.009 that's not true. It's about an intimacy, a love 00:05:40.009 --> 00:05:43.569 for God, a devotion to Him. But when you love 00:05:43.569 --> 00:05:47.529 someone, you want to be a blessing. You want 00:05:47.529 --> 00:05:52.730 to give and not mooch. Amen? I'm going to help 00:05:52.730 --> 00:05:55.350 all the husbands out here. If you say you love 00:05:55.350 --> 00:05:57.829 your wife and all you do is mooch off of her, 00:05:57.949 --> 00:06:04.529 that's not love. That's getting stuff. It's the 00:06:04.529 --> 00:06:06.050 same way in our relationship with the Lord. So, 00:06:06.069 --> 00:06:08.810 we're looking at this passage in Matthew chapter 00:06:08.810 --> 00:06:12.009 11. We're talking about, Jesus, teach me the 00:06:12.009 --> 00:06:14.269 lessons about your kingdom so that when I see 00:06:14.269 --> 00:06:21.410 you face to face, can you imagine? We are going 00:06:21.410 --> 00:06:28.750 to look into the eyes of fire. And His hair is 00:06:28.750 --> 00:06:32.689 going to be white as wool. And His voice is going 00:06:32.689 --> 00:06:37.430 to be like many waters. And I want to give Him 00:06:37.430 --> 00:06:45.189 many crowns. Do you? Like the Apostle Paul, you 00:06:45.189 --> 00:06:47.310 want to escape into heaven smelling like smoke 00:06:47.310 --> 00:06:51.589 with nothing to offer the King? Many will. And 00:06:51.589 --> 00:06:53.490 it will be all glory and honor to Him for His 00:06:53.490 --> 00:06:56.370 grace and mercy. I don't want to be that man. 00:06:57.610 --> 00:07:00.110 I want to be that man that has something to offer 00:07:00.110 --> 00:07:06.230 the one that I love. And I will spend my life 00:07:06.230 --> 00:07:11.449 because Jesus said, do not store up for yourselves 00:07:11.449 --> 00:07:15.290 treasures on this earth where moth and rust destroy 00:07:15.290 --> 00:07:17.970 and thieves break in and steal. No, you store 00:07:17.970 --> 00:07:23.149 up for yourself treasures in heaven. Well, are 00:07:23.149 --> 00:07:25.730 we going to need treasures in heaven? What's 00:07:25.730 --> 00:07:30.000 the point? We can lay them before our king as 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:35.360 gifts of faithful service. All right. I said 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:37.300 brief and concise. Got to preach him. All right. 00:07:37.699 --> 00:07:40.360 So let's look just real quickly over these lessons 00:07:40.360 --> 00:07:42.899 from last week. We'll break into this week. Number 00:07:42.899 --> 00:07:45.519 one, disappointment and discouragement are inevitable 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:48.860 in the kingdom lifestyle. Refuse to be offended 00:07:48.860 --> 00:07:52.660 at our glorious king. We looked at John. who's 00:07:52.660 --> 00:07:55.100 in prison after surrendering his whole life, 00:07:55.139 --> 00:07:58.240 all of his comfort, all of his dreams to be the 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:01.420 forerunner of Jesus, and he's in prison for it, 00:08:01.459 --> 00:08:04.920 and he says to Jesus' disciples, go ask Jesus 00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:11.920 if he's the one we've been waiting for. So, the 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:14.870 lesson is, we're all going to have disappointments 00:08:14.870 --> 00:08:16.490 and discouragements. If we're going to be about 00:08:16.490 --> 00:08:19.509 the kingdom, we're living for a king in an earth 00:08:19.509 --> 00:08:21.810 that's about ourselves and our own pleasure and 00:08:21.810 --> 00:08:25.310 the worldly flesh, then we're going to have disappointments 00:08:25.310 --> 00:08:29.410 and discouragements. Don't be offended at Jesus. 00:08:30.629 --> 00:08:33.250 Choose to have an unoffended heart. That's going 00:08:33.250 --> 00:08:35.110 to be really important for your kingdom effectiveness. 00:08:35.649 --> 00:08:37.570 Because if you're going to be a Christ follower 00:08:37.570 --> 00:08:40.950 walking continually offended at Jesus, you're 00:08:40.950 --> 00:08:44.600 going to be ineffective for the kingdom. Yes? 00:08:45.100 --> 00:08:48.399 It's true. Alright, number two. Do not settle 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:51.120 for a powerless lifestyle. Remember, the kingdom 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:53.659 of God is not a matter of talk, but of power. 00:08:54.159 --> 00:08:58.139 That comes from the Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 00:08:58.139 --> 00:09:01.940 4 .20 in the Holy Scriptures, right? The kingdom 00:09:01.940 --> 00:09:04.600 of God is not a matter of mere talk. It's a matter 00:09:04.600 --> 00:09:07.279 of power. So don't settle for a powerless life. 00:09:09.580 --> 00:09:13.080 I would say Jesus' closest friend and comrade 00:09:13.080 --> 00:09:16.019 in the faith, in the trenches with Him the most 00:09:16.019 --> 00:09:19.000 out of anybody, when John the Baptist questions 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:22.139 Him openly if He's really the Messiah, how does 00:09:22.139 --> 00:09:26.639 Jesus respond? You go tell John, the blind have 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:30.179 never seen their sight. The lame are walking. 00:09:31.259 --> 00:09:34.460 The dead are being raised. And the good news 00:09:34.460 --> 00:09:38.409 is preached to the poor. His response to the 00:09:38.409 --> 00:09:41.250 open question was the supernatural fruit of his 00:09:41.250 --> 00:09:44.370 life. And that's an important lesson for us as 00:09:44.370 --> 00:09:46.230 kingdom people because we're in a culture of 00:09:46.230 --> 00:09:50.009 arguing. We're in a culture of criticism. And 00:09:50.009 --> 00:09:52.110 not all of that is negative, but a lot of it 00:09:52.110 --> 00:09:56.710 is. And what if Christians talked less on social 00:09:56.710 --> 00:10:02.070 media and lived more like Jesus? What if we talked 00:10:02.070 --> 00:10:05.149 less about the kingdom and operated in it more 00:10:05.149 --> 00:10:08.149 in such a way that people go, Well, he doesn't 00:10:08.149 --> 00:10:10.669 talk very good and sometimes he doesn't smell 00:10:10.669 --> 00:10:14.870 good, but wow, look at the miraculous fruit of 00:10:14.870 --> 00:10:20.429 his life or her life. I want that. Number three, 00:10:20.490 --> 00:10:23.610 lessons about the kingdom. The kingdom of heaven 00:10:23.610 --> 00:10:27.090 is a kingdom of honor. We will be relentless 00:10:27.090 --> 00:10:30.169 in highly valuing each member of the body despite 00:10:30.169 --> 00:10:37.679 personal disappointments and offenses. John the 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:42.500 Baptist questions Jesus openly before his disciples 00:10:42.500 --> 00:10:46.419 and Jesus' disciples. So how does Jesus respond? 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:49.460 He says, go tell John the Baptist, look at the 00:10:49.460 --> 00:10:51.379 miraculous fruit of my life. As the disciples 00:10:51.379 --> 00:10:55.600 are walking away, Jesus begins to honor John. 00:10:57.019 --> 00:10:59.820 I'm sure he was disappointed. I can't imagine 00:10:59.820 --> 00:11:04.419 Jesus not feeling betrayal and hurt and disappointment 00:11:04.419 --> 00:11:08.309 at John's question. I mean, because, right? We 00:11:08.309 --> 00:11:10.809 do not have a high priest that cannot sympathize 00:11:10.809 --> 00:11:13.750 with us, but one that has experienced everything 00:11:13.750 --> 00:11:15.590 we're going to experience and be tempted like 00:11:15.590 --> 00:11:19.149 us in every way. Yet was without sin. So you 00:11:19.149 --> 00:11:23.269 know he was potentially discouraged about that. 00:11:23.509 --> 00:11:27.629 So what did he choose to do? Honor. To honor 00:11:27.629 --> 00:11:30.049 John the Baptist, even in his moment of weakness. 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:35.120 is so important as we the church model the kingdom 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:37.600 of heaven on the earth. If you didn't know this, 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:40.200 the kingdom of heaven is a kingdom of honor. 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:43.299 The Father honors the Son. The Son honors the 00:11:43.299 --> 00:11:46.419 Spirit. The Spirit honors the Son. The Son honors 00:11:46.419 --> 00:11:50.159 the Father. The bride should honor the bridegroom. 00:11:50.259 --> 00:11:53.399 And the bridegroom continually honors the bride. 00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:57.159 It's a kingdom of honor. And we need to be people 00:11:57.159 --> 00:12:00.340 of honor. And Jesus did it this way. We talked 00:12:00.340 --> 00:12:02.840 briefly about this. He refused to let the current 00:12:02.840 --> 00:12:05.299 disappointment eclipse John's value in the kingdom. 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:08.360 If you're in church for more than five minutes, 00:12:08.399 --> 00:12:11.399 somebody in church is going to offend you. So 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:14.659 what are you going to do? Are you going to focus 00:12:14.659 --> 00:12:17.139 on what happened and how they hurt you and you 00:12:17.139 --> 00:12:19.519 and you and you and wounded you and you and you? 00:12:19.779 --> 00:12:23.039 Are you going to look past the offense because 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:26.360 that's what we learned all last year? Love each 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:29.259 other deeply because deep love covers over a 00:12:29.259 --> 00:12:33.659 multitude of offenses. Right? We're going to 00:12:33.659 --> 00:12:37.620 refuse to let a person's kingdom value be eclipsed 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:43.220 by their current weakness. Then Jesus, instead 00:12:43.220 --> 00:12:46.299 of focusing on the failure, He focuses on the 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:50.220 sacrifice and the good deeds of John. Remember, 00:12:51.059 --> 00:12:53.379 He starts saying, what did you come out to see? 00:12:55.659 --> 00:12:58.019 And he talks about how John lived in the wilderness 00:12:58.019 --> 00:13:02.080 and how he gave his life as a sacrifice and how 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:05.960 he was the greatest of all prophets. Quite a 00:13:05.960 --> 00:13:11.159 compliment. Right? In the midst of the disappointment, 00:13:11.220 --> 00:13:12.940 he chooses I'm not going to let it eclipse who 00:13:12.940 --> 00:13:15.899 John is and I'm going to recognize, I'm going 00:13:15.899 --> 00:13:18.059 to remember all that he's done for me and my 00:13:18.059 --> 00:13:20.279 kingdom. And you and I, we can learn an important 00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:22.600 lesson in that because there's going to be people, 00:13:22.659 --> 00:13:25.779 i .e. pastors, who disappoint you and hurt you, 00:13:25.860 --> 00:13:28.519 or anybody else in the body or the kingdom of 00:13:28.519 --> 00:13:31.139 Christ. And you can either get bound up and beat 00:13:31.139 --> 00:13:34.779 up by the offense, or you can choose to say, 00:13:34.779 --> 00:13:38.980 you know what? Yeah, he's a dummy. But I'm going 00:13:38.980 --> 00:13:41.600 to choose to see his great value or her great 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:43.879 value for the kingdom. And then what does Jesus 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:47.139 do thirdly to finish up walking this out? He 00:13:47.139 --> 00:13:50.120 begins to praise John publicly. He talks good 00:13:50.120 --> 00:13:53.450 about John behind his back. And we need to become 00:13:53.450 --> 00:13:57.029 a church that does that. Wouldn't it be awesome 00:13:57.029 --> 00:13:59.509 if you were out in the community somewhere and 00:13:59.509 --> 00:14:01.889 you were talking about this and that and they're 00:14:01.889 --> 00:14:06.230 like, hey, I know you. I saw this guy in the 00:14:06.230 --> 00:14:09.090 grocery store from your church and he was telling 00:14:09.090 --> 00:14:12.210 me how faithful you are in your time of difficulty. 00:14:13.350 --> 00:14:20.190 What if we talked good about each other? It shouldn't 00:14:20.190 --> 00:14:24.419 be that shocking. That the church overlooks and 00:14:24.419 --> 00:14:29.620 offenses and honors each other. That's what Jesus 00:14:29.620 --> 00:14:32.600 does for us continually. Alright, then we close 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:36.259 up by saying, and I mean this, live honorably 00:14:36.259 --> 00:14:38.899 so that it's not hard to honor you. That's an 00:14:38.899 --> 00:14:41.940 important part of honor culture also. Don't be 00:14:41.940 --> 00:14:44.720 a bonehead on purpose. There can be plenty of 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:46.759 opportunities for us to be a bonehead on accident. 00:14:47.779 --> 00:14:52.830 Don't be a doofus, a jerk, on purpose. Live honorably 00:14:52.830 --> 00:14:55.669 so that the rest of us don't have to work 24 00:14:55.669 --> 00:14:57.870 -7 to honor you when it's really hard to do it. 00:14:58.350 --> 00:15:01.629 Yeah? I mean, you think that's solid wisdom? 00:15:03.549 --> 00:15:06.389 Alright, so that was the review. Let's look at 00:15:06.389 --> 00:15:09.190 number four. These are kingdom lessons from John 00:15:09.190 --> 00:15:13.990 11. It's so good. Gosh, this passage. It's rich. 00:15:15.029 --> 00:15:17.090 Number four, because we're continuing on from 00:15:17.090 --> 00:15:20.059 last week. Number four. Jesus has initiated the 00:15:20.059 --> 00:15:23.940 kingdom of heaven on earth, which is incomparably 00:15:23.940 --> 00:15:28.600 superior to this world. You are invited into 00:15:28.600 --> 00:15:32.379 this kingdom, so do not settle for the mediocrity 00:15:32.379 --> 00:15:37.679 of this world. I know that's wordy, because I 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:42.340 don't want to be wordy, but each word I feel 00:15:42.340 --> 00:15:47.309 is inspired by the Lord in me on purpose. Let's 00:15:47.309 --> 00:15:53.110 read verses 11 -15 again. So, Jesus has been 00:15:53.110 --> 00:15:56.470 questioned. We've gone all over that. Jesus has 00:15:56.470 --> 00:16:00.789 responded. Verse 11, He says, I tell you the 00:16:00.789 --> 00:16:05.029 truth. Among those born of women, there has not 00:16:05.029 --> 00:16:08.690 risen anyone greater than John the Baptist. Yet 00:16:08.690 --> 00:16:12.649 he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater 00:16:12.649 --> 00:16:15.960 than he. From the days of John the Baptist until 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:18.379 now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully 00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:21.799 advancing and forceful men lay hold of it. For 00:16:21.799 --> 00:16:24.480 all the prophets and the law prophesied until 00:16:24.480 --> 00:16:27.480 John. And if you are willing to accept it, he 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:30.639 is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, 00:16:30.820 --> 00:16:32.759 let him hear. We're going to dive into some of 00:16:32.759 --> 00:16:35.700 that. But here's what I'm talking about. Jesus, 00:16:35.940 --> 00:16:39.960 anytime that Jesus says, I'm going to tell you 00:16:39.960 --> 00:16:43.389 the truth. It usually is right before he's going 00:16:43.389 --> 00:16:46.210 to tell us something hard to comprehend. So he's 00:16:46.210 --> 00:16:49.129 warning us. I'm telling you the truth. In your 00:16:49.129 --> 00:16:52.289 flesh, you're going to be tempted to think this 00:16:52.289 --> 00:16:55.610 is too much. But I'm telling you the truth. He 00:16:55.610 --> 00:17:00.529 says, I tell you the truth. And basically he 00:17:00.529 --> 00:17:03.990 says this. John the Baptist, he's the greatest 00:17:03.990 --> 00:17:14.130 man ever born of woman. Wow. Who wants to live 00:17:14.130 --> 00:17:16.829 in such a way that Jesus talks about you like 00:17:16.829 --> 00:17:22.509 that to his friends? Yes, Lord. He says, I want 00:17:22.509 --> 00:17:25.430 to tell you the truth. John the Baptist, greatest 00:17:25.430 --> 00:17:28.150 man ever born of wisdom. Then he says something 00:17:28.150 --> 00:17:32.089 puzzling if you're not understanding the kingdom. 00:17:32.210 --> 00:17:35.730 He says, but the person who's least in the kingdom 00:17:35.730 --> 00:17:42.299 of heaven is greater than John. What in the world 00:17:42.299 --> 00:17:48.539 is going on? What's Jesus saying? You have to 00:17:48.539 --> 00:17:53.099 understand the big picture of where Jesus is 00:17:53.099 --> 00:17:57.079 going. Jesus is not devaluing John, and He's 00:17:57.079 --> 00:18:00.579 not overemphasizing you and I. I need you to 00:18:00.579 --> 00:18:03.619 catch this. What He's doing is He is initiating 00:18:03.619 --> 00:18:08.000 a sovereign kingdom timeline shift in the earth. 00:18:10.829 --> 00:18:14.589 Are you with me? He is initiating a sovereign 00:18:14.589 --> 00:18:17.109 shift of the kingdom of heaven in the timeline 00:18:17.109 --> 00:18:21.869 of creation. Journey with me. It starts in the 00:18:21.869 --> 00:18:25.410 garden. Perfect man, perfect woman, perfect environment. 00:18:25.730 --> 00:18:29.990 Sin comes in, robs the peace and relationship 00:18:29.990 --> 00:18:33.339 with God. Then God goes on a journey through 00:18:33.339 --> 00:18:36.279 the sacrificial system so that he can have mankind 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:38.759 back in close communion with him. So he goes 00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:41.400 through this entire sacrificial system for years 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:45.480 and years. But the sacrificial system never quite 00:18:45.480 --> 00:18:48.200 does it. It says that the blood of bulls and 00:18:48.200 --> 00:18:51.160 goats never forgave sin but only pushed it forward. 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:54.059 And what it was doing was what? Creating a hunger 00:18:54.059 --> 00:18:59.000 for Jesus. Creating a hunger for the Messiah. 00:18:59.660 --> 00:19:01.940 This is the history. So this goes on year after 00:19:01.940 --> 00:19:04.619 year, just like Danny was talking about, Passover, 00:19:04.859 --> 00:19:07.339 the feast, everything pointing towards Jesus. 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:11.160 And yet God's people keep rejecting him and stubborn 00:19:11.160 --> 00:19:14.700 and perverting the system that God gave them 00:19:14.700 --> 00:19:17.980 to have communion with him. And so in the end, 00:19:18.019 --> 00:19:23.740 God says, okay. He finishes up Malachi, the end 00:19:23.740 --> 00:19:26.299 of the Old Testament, with a prophecy about Jesus 00:19:26.299 --> 00:19:30.200 and John the Baptist. And then for 400 years, 00:19:30.279 --> 00:19:32.900 there's total silence from heaven. There's no 00:19:32.900 --> 00:19:35.500 prophetic voice on the earth. There's no revelation 00:19:35.500 --> 00:19:39.599 of God. And after 400 years of hunger and silence 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:42.000 and people's hearts saying, there has to be more, 00:19:42.039 --> 00:19:44.720 there has to be more, there comes a man on the 00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:47.119 earth, and his name was John the Baptist, and 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:50.400 he begins preparing the way for Jesus. And his 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:53.200 sermon is shorter than this one because he says, 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:57.259 here's the truth. Repent. Change the way you 00:19:57.259 --> 00:20:00.089 think. for the kingdom of heaven is now near. 00:20:02.849 --> 00:20:08.289 The kingdom's coming. The kingdom is near. And 00:20:08.289 --> 00:20:11.569 his whole job is to prepare the way for Jesus. 00:20:11.630 --> 00:20:15.250 And then Jesus shows up on the scene. And He's 00:20:15.250 --> 00:20:17.750 baptized in the water. And He's baptized in the 00:20:17.750 --> 00:20:20.960 Spirit. And He's led by the Spirit. but thrashes 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:23.079 the devil in the wilderness and he comes back 00:20:23.079 --> 00:20:25.700 and he begins to preach this sermon. Repent. 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:28.400 Change the way you think. The kingdom is here. 00:20:28.819 --> 00:20:33.500 The kingdom is at hand. And what Jesus is doing 00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:36.680 is He's initiating the kingdom of heaven has 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:40.960 now come to earth. Are you with me? There is 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:44.480 a shift in the timeline of heaven in which now 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:47.819 the kingdom of heaven, the heaven that He came 00:20:47.819 --> 00:20:51.190 from, that was His home, He is now establishing 00:20:51.190 --> 00:20:53.630 it on the earth and he's conferring it through 00:20:53.630 --> 00:20:56.269 his disciples and he's modeling it and he's teaching 00:20:56.269 --> 00:20:58.390 about it and teaching about it and teaching about 00:20:58.390 --> 00:21:03.230 it. The kingdom, the kingdom, the kingdom. And 00:21:03.230 --> 00:21:06.970 when Jesus says John the Baptist was the greatest 00:21:06.970 --> 00:21:11.609 man ever born of woman, but the least in the 00:21:11.609 --> 00:21:13.930 kingdom is greater than he, it's not about personality 00:21:13.930 --> 00:21:17.390 or gifting. It's about position in the timeline 00:21:17.390 --> 00:21:19.950 of heaven. And what that's saying to you and 00:21:19.950 --> 00:21:23.809 I is Jesus has invited us into the kingdom of 00:21:23.809 --> 00:21:26.609 heaven on the earth. I hear all the time, man, 00:21:26.609 --> 00:21:29.170 I just hope I make it to heaven. I'll clean the 00:21:29.170 --> 00:21:31.490 toilets of heaven if He'll just let me in. I 00:21:31.490 --> 00:21:33.750 got news for you. You're a toilet cleaner in 00:21:33.750 --> 00:21:35.490 heaven. You're greater than John the Baptist. 00:21:38.029 --> 00:21:40.490 People don't like that. That's why Jesus said, 00:21:40.549 --> 00:21:43.170 I'm going to tell you the truth. Why? Because 00:21:43.170 --> 00:21:45.769 He initiated a shift in the kingdom of heaven 00:21:45.769 --> 00:21:48.769 on the earth. He said from this day forward, 00:21:48.869 --> 00:21:53.049 the kingdom is here. The kingdom of heaven is 00:21:53.049 --> 00:22:01.269 available to you and I. Back to number four. 00:22:05.970 --> 00:22:14.029 Does this make sense? You have been invited by 00:22:14.029 --> 00:22:17.309 Jesus. into this kingdom of heaven on the earth. 00:22:18.049 --> 00:22:22.549 So I want to exhort you and exhort myself, why 00:22:22.549 --> 00:22:27.349 are we settling for the mediocrity of this world 00:22:27.349 --> 00:22:31.190 when we've been invited into the kingdom of heaven? 00:22:34.049 --> 00:22:38.410 You say, well, Jesse, I mean, I get busy, man. 00:22:38.450 --> 00:22:41.750 I've got bills to pay, kids to raise, spouses 00:22:41.750 --> 00:22:51.369 to love. Man, I get it, but just think about 00:22:51.369 --> 00:22:56.289 the Holy Scriptures. And we have received a kingdom 00:22:56.289 --> 00:23:01.009 that cannot be shaken. This kingdom is not a 00:23:01.009 --> 00:23:03.650 matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, 00:23:04.009 --> 00:23:07.950 peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. This kingdom 00:23:07.950 --> 00:23:11.029 is not a matter of talk, but of power. What you 00:23:11.029 --> 00:23:15.299 and I have been invited into, And frankly, to 00:23:15.299 --> 00:23:19.640 be honest, is expected of us. You understand 00:23:19.640 --> 00:23:22.660 that, right? Jesus didn't just invite His followers 00:23:22.660 --> 00:23:24.900 into the kingdom and say, hey, if you feel like 00:23:24.900 --> 00:23:28.539 it, live for the kingdom. It's actually the command 00:23:28.539 --> 00:23:33.559 of our lives. That's why He said, man, when we're 00:23:33.559 --> 00:23:35.240 talking about the kingdom, don't look over here, 00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:37.380 don't look over there. Luke 17, 21. Why? Because 00:23:37.380 --> 00:24:06.680 the kingdom of God is within you. hearing from 00:24:06.680 --> 00:24:18.619 the Lord on how far to... Alright. Can I just... 00:24:18.619 --> 00:24:23.980 No. Okay. Number five. Let's look at this one. 00:24:24.019 --> 00:24:28.180 Number five. I want to be a person of honor to 00:24:28.180 --> 00:24:31.240 Him and to you. Number five. These are lessons 00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:33.680 about the kingdom I believe Jesus is teaching 00:24:33.680 --> 00:24:36.730 in this passage. Jesus has made the kingdom of 00:24:36.730 --> 00:24:39.970 heaven available to all believers, but only those 00:24:39.970 --> 00:24:43.230 who are violently intentional to press into it 00:24:43.230 --> 00:24:48.329 will take a hold of it. Jesus has made the kingdom 00:24:48.329 --> 00:24:50.490 of heaven available to all believers. Like I 00:24:50.490 --> 00:24:53.710 said, everyone's invited. But only those who 00:24:53.710 --> 00:24:56.049 are violently intentional to press into it will 00:24:56.049 --> 00:24:59.390 take hold of it. Let's look at this passage right 00:24:59.390 --> 00:25:02.670 here. verse 12 from the days of john the baptist 00:25:02.670 --> 00:25:05.170 until now the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully 00:25:05.170 --> 00:25:07.990 advancing and forceful men lay hold of it some 00:25:07.990 --> 00:25:10.910 of your translations say and the kingdom of god 00:25:10.910 --> 00:25:14.589 has suffered violence and violent men are raiding 00:25:14.589 --> 00:25:17.509 it or something like that i read all the versions 00:25:17.509 --> 00:25:21.490 this week and i really did do quite a bit of 00:25:21.490 --> 00:25:23.509 study on this because the last thing i want to 00:25:23.509 --> 00:25:27.460 do is to be misleading in any way. So I went 00:25:27.460 --> 00:25:29.980 to the original language. I literally spent hours 00:25:29.980 --> 00:25:33.599 over the last couple of weeks on this passage 00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:36.339 because there are those that say that, man, this 00:25:36.339 --> 00:25:39.440 is a negative connotation. Jesus is saying, you 00:25:39.440 --> 00:25:42.920 know, John's been doing this and then, you know, 00:25:42.920 --> 00:25:45.460 forceful men outside of the kingdom are trying 00:25:45.460 --> 00:25:51.680 to push their way in and steal it. I think there's 00:25:51.680 --> 00:25:55.319 a few problems with that. Number one, I think 00:25:55.990 --> 00:25:58.789 just saying, who's going to raid the kingdom 00:25:58.789 --> 00:26:03.650 from the king? Good luck. I don't think that's 00:26:03.650 --> 00:26:06.329 what Jesus was saying. Secondly, I think you 00:26:06.329 --> 00:26:08.390 have to really look at the context of the passage. 00:26:08.450 --> 00:26:10.849 What's Jesus talking about? What's He teaching 00:26:10.849 --> 00:26:13.150 through John the Baptist? This transition of 00:26:13.150 --> 00:26:15.430 the kingdom. And then He's going to go into this 00:26:15.430 --> 00:26:18.269 negative connotation. But probably most importantly, 00:26:18.390 --> 00:26:21.690 turn to Luke 16, verse 16. Did you know Matthew, 00:26:21.750 --> 00:26:24.549 Mark, and Luke are what's called synoptic Gospels? 00:26:25.180 --> 00:26:27.500 They're the three Gospels telling the story of 00:26:27.500 --> 00:26:29.920 Jesus' life from these three men's perspective. 00:26:30.599 --> 00:26:35.140 And in Luke 16, verse 16, it's Luke's rendition 00:26:35.140 --> 00:26:38.460 of this same teaching. And that's important to 00:26:38.460 --> 00:26:41.240 look at. This is the only other time in all the 00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:44.400 Bible that Jesus uses this word for violence. 00:26:46.200 --> 00:26:51.920 This word, biazo. And violent men. Or that is 00:26:51.920 --> 00:26:54.859 suffering violence. It's only in two places, 00:26:54.940 --> 00:26:58.039 the Matthew 11 teaching and the Luke 16 teaching. 00:26:58.299 --> 00:27:02.619 And in Luke chapter 16, verse 16, Jesus says, 00:27:02.759 --> 00:27:05.460 the law and the prophets were proclaimed until 00:27:05.460 --> 00:27:08.799 John. And since that time, the good news of the 00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:12.559 kingdom is being preached and everyone is forcing 00:27:12.559 --> 00:27:18.400 his way into it. The Jesus, what, Jesse, where 00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:21.930 are you going with this? Where I'm going with 00:27:21.930 --> 00:27:26.210 this is it's so important to understand that 00:27:26.210 --> 00:27:31.349 you're never going to be a kingdom -minded, kingdom 00:27:31.349 --> 00:27:36.009 -power, unshakable kingdom person by happenstance 00:27:36.009 --> 00:27:40.549 or accident or passivity. You may get into heaven 00:27:40.549 --> 00:27:45.569 by the grace of God. You may get out of hell 00:27:45.569 --> 00:27:50.279 by the mercy of Jesus. But if your goal is maturity 00:27:50.279 --> 00:27:53.480 for the glory of the name of Jesus and to be 00:27:53.480 --> 00:27:56.480 a kingdom person, it will not be by accident 00:27:56.480 --> 00:28:07.670 and living a passive spiritual life. These words, 00:28:07.869 --> 00:28:10.990 I think I have these words up here. And you study 00:28:10.990 --> 00:28:13.069 it on your own. I'm bringing what I feel like 00:28:13.069 --> 00:28:15.309 is the deep conviction, the way the Holy Spirit 00:28:15.309 --> 00:28:17.809 led me. You study these words, these passages. 00:28:17.950 --> 00:28:20.190 You hold it up to the Scriptures. You have the 00:28:20.190 --> 00:28:23.890 Spirit of truth living in you. And you will come 00:28:23.890 --> 00:28:27.170 into agreement with Him. But this word, be also, 00:28:27.430 --> 00:28:30.630 which is translated forcibly advancing or suffering 00:28:30.630 --> 00:28:34.859 violence. Biazzo means to crowd oneself into, 00:28:35.079 --> 00:28:39.880 to force, to press. Jesus is saying, listen, 00:28:40.099 --> 00:28:44.660 forceful men are taking a hold of it. There's 00:28:44.660 --> 00:28:49.519 a violent action. There's a pressing into, to 00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:55.440 press oneself into the kingdom. Two Christ followers 00:28:55.440 --> 00:29:00.460 working together in the same company. Maybe even 00:29:00.460 --> 00:29:03.579 two cubicles next to each other. Both saved. 00:29:03.619 --> 00:29:07.720 Both loved Jesus. Both going to heaven. One living 00:29:07.720 --> 00:29:10.380 for the kingdoms of this world. One living for 00:29:10.380 --> 00:29:12.460 an eternal kingdom. There'll be two completely 00:29:12.460 --> 00:29:15.500 different men or women. Do you know what I'm 00:29:15.500 --> 00:29:19.539 saying? Because one has said, this kingdom is 00:29:19.539 --> 00:29:23.299 so precious, I will violently be intentional 00:29:23.299 --> 00:29:34.099 to press myself into this kingdom. The word to 00:29:34.099 --> 00:29:38.299 lay hold of it is translated from the Greek word 00:29:38.299 --> 00:29:42.000 harpazo. Listen to this. It means to claim for 00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:51.799 oneself eagerly to seize. And forceful men. And 00:29:51.799 --> 00:29:55.779 you know men. The word is mankind. It's not just 00:29:55.779 --> 00:30:00.440 for the male. It's mankind. When men and women 00:30:02.230 --> 00:30:05.690 eagerly sees the kingdom for themselves. They 00:30:05.690 --> 00:30:08.849 hear the words of Jesus. They see the life of 00:30:08.849 --> 00:30:11.730 Jesus. They see the offer. And they say, I'm 00:30:11.730 --> 00:30:17.569 tired of living this mediocre, powerless, religious 00:30:17.569 --> 00:30:20.130 life. There has to be something more. Have you 00:30:20.130 --> 00:30:21.890 ever said to yourself, there has to be something 00:30:21.890 --> 00:30:27.170 more? For years, for years, I lived as a pastor. 00:30:27.269 --> 00:30:30.450 I laid down my head at night and craved for something 00:30:30.450 --> 00:30:34.720 more. It's not churches. It's not church growth. 00:30:34.839 --> 00:30:36.799 It's not more numbers. It's not more people getting 00:30:36.799 --> 00:30:38.519 saved. It's not more people getting baptized. 00:30:38.779 --> 00:30:41.039 All those things are fruit. What I've learned 00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:44.000 is that the more is coming into the reality of 00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:46.180 the kingdom of heaven on the earth. Because when 00:30:46.180 --> 00:30:48.519 you're in the kingdom, hooked up with the king, 00:30:48.680 --> 00:30:52.920 every day is an adventure and a challenge. You'll 00:30:52.920 --> 00:30:56.240 never be bored. You'll never be bored. You might 00:30:56.240 --> 00:30:59.119 get discouraged. You might get overwhelmed. You'll 00:30:59.119 --> 00:31:06.279 never be bored. Seek the Lord because I believe 00:31:06.279 --> 00:31:09.640 becoming an intentional, pressing into the kingdom 00:31:09.640 --> 00:31:12.539 man or woman is the thing you've been longing 00:31:12.539 --> 00:31:25.519 for. You should be totally fulfilled. You know, 00:31:25.559 --> 00:31:29.440 there's several police officers here that do 00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:31.599 it full time for a living. I think they would 00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:35.019 tell you it's probably like... 95 % of drudgery 00:31:35.019 --> 00:31:38.339 and boredom and 5 % of excitement. I guess that's 00:31:38.339 --> 00:31:40.039 probably what it's like for most people's job, 00:31:40.259 --> 00:31:45.819 preaching including. But every once in a while, 00:31:45.960 --> 00:31:50.119 it's fun. And this is just a couple months ago. 00:31:51.779 --> 00:31:54.779 Children are dismissed, but I'll be sensitive. 00:31:55.160 --> 00:31:57.640 A couple months ago, we get a call about a person 00:31:57.640 --> 00:32:00.980 who's in a mental health crisis saying they're 00:32:00.980 --> 00:32:04.319 going to hurt themselves. They said, come to 00:32:04.319 --> 00:32:06.799 the house. You're going to find me in this place 00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:10.240 in the house. We rush over there. It's in the 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:12.539 middle of the night. There's four of us officers. 00:32:12.660 --> 00:32:15.519 We get to the house. The door's open. He said, 00:32:15.539 --> 00:32:17.339 you're going to find me in the downstairs bathroom. 00:32:18.059 --> 00:32:20.220 So we go in the front door, the back of the house. 00:32:20.460 --> 00:32:22.599 There's a bathroom door cracked open, the lights 00:32:22.599 --> 00:32:25.299 on. So we have our weapons out. We're clearing 00:32:25.299 --> 00:32:28.339 the house all the way to the bathroom. We get 00:32:28.339 --> 00:32:31.140 to the bathroom. There's a guy standing in the 00:32:31.140 --> 00:32:36.019 bathtub. The big butcher knife. In the bathtub, 00:32:36.079 --> 00:32:39.579 butcher knife. Well, that gets a police officer 00:32:39.579 --> 00:32:43.180 a little amped up, you know? So this bathroom 00:32:43.180 --> 00:32:45.900 is like one of those half baths with a bathroom. 00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:49.359 I mean, it's so narrow. And you have four dudes 00:32:49.359 --> 00:32:53.619 amped up with all their weapons trying to get 00:32:53.619 --> 00:32:57.019 in that doorway at this guy, right? Keeping the 00:32:57.019 --> 00:32:59.839 distance but trying to be there. So we got... 00:33:00.029 --> 00:33:02.569 Less lethal weapons out. We got pistols out. 00:33:02.690 --> 00:33:06.250 We got the less lethal shotgun out. And so this 00:33:06.250 --> 00:33:09.529 guy's waving this knife around. And we're all 00:33:09.529 --> 00:33:12.089 shouting, put the knife down. And at some point 00:33:12.089 --> 00:33:14.109 you have to say to yourself, stop saying the 00:33:14.109 --> 00:33:16.509 same thing over and over because he's not responding, 00:33:16.569 --> 00:33:18.910 right? After, you know, it seems like forever. 00:33:19.430 --> 00:33:26.349 So it's a very close quarter thing. We're all 00:33:26.349 --> 00:33:28.569 pressed against each other trying to get in the 00:33:28.569 --> 00:33:31.910 doorway. And I was like, and there was a corporal 00:33:31.910 --> 00:33:36.069 there, and I was the closest. I said, oh, we 00:33:36.069 --> 00:33:38.789 started talking to him, started trying to identify 00:33:38.789 --> 00:33:42.410 him, and he closes the curtain. So now he's standing 00:33:42.410 --> 00:33:44.670 with a knife in the bathtub behind a curtain. 00:33:44.789 --> 00:33:48.369 I'm like, oh, my goodness. So I told the corporal, 00:33:48.430 --> 00:33:51.009 I'm going to get the, my supervisor, I'm going 00:33:51.009 --> 00:33:54.700 to get the curtain down. So I go up there. Reaching, 00:33:54.700 --> 00:33:56.920 I yank the curtain. The curtain rod falls off 00:33:56.920 --> 00:33:59.740 the ground, falls into the bathtub. And so the 00:33:59.740 --> 00:34:01.619 guy just grabs the curtain and covers himself 00:34:01.619 --> 00:34:04.839 again. I'm like, oh my goodness. So I just get 00:34:04.839 --> 00:34:07.740 the knife under the curtain in the bathtub. So 00:34:07.740 --> 00:34:09.440 I was like, hey, I'm going to get the curtain 00:34:09.440 --> 00:34:12.500 again. So I'm reaching in there. I grab that 00:34:12.500 --> 00:34:16.199 curtain. I yank out the curtain. And so it's 00:34:16.199 --> 00:34:19.480 the guy now in the bathtub waving the knife around. 00:34:19.639 --> 00:34:24.989 But he's getting really weak. I like to think 00:34:24.989 --> 00:34:27.170 that it's a glorious moment, but in reality, 00:34:27.309 --> 00:34:31.429 it wasn't as glorious as it was in my mind. But 00:34:31.429 --> 00:34:34.750 here's this guy. At one point, he kneels down. 00:34:34.789 --> 00:34:38.230 He puts his arm on the side of the bathtub. And 00:34:38.230 --> 00:34:40.150 everybody's yelling all these commands. And I 00:34:40.150 --> 00:34:43.969 was like, I'm going to get the knife to the corporal. 00:34:44.409 --> 00:34:49.210 So I press in there, and I mobilize his wrist 00:34:49.210 --> 00:34:51.469 on the side. And I put the knife against the 00:34:51.469 --> 00:34:53.530 fingers, not the palm, like we've been taught. 00:34:54.369 --> 00:34:57.710 Disarm them. I have my first knife disarm in 00:34:57.710 --> 00:35:02.869 law enforcement. Now, the guy was like 70 and 00:35:02.869 --> 00:35:06.550 sick and in the middle of a mental crisis. And 00:35:06.550 --> 00:35:11.690 that's not a joke. But, you know, take it when 00:35:11.690 --> 00:35:19.250 you can. I still have a knife disarm. It's awesome. 00:35:20.519 --> 00:35:22.599 I felt great about it until I watched the body 00:35:22.599 --> 00:35:24.480 cam and looked at how dumb I looked. And then 00:35:24.480 --> 00:35:32.300 I thought, let's not show anybody that. I think 00:35:32.300 --> 00:35:37.420 you know where I'm going with that. You're going 00:35:37.420 --> 00:35:39.320 to have to press in if you're going to be effective. 00:35:40.800 --> 00:35:43.780 You're going to have to press in past all the 00:35:43.780 --> 00:35:48.219 fears. And I know it's funny, but it was actually 00:35:48.219 --> 00:35:52.019 a very scary moment. Right? You have to press 00:35:52.019 --> 00:35:53.880 in through the fears. You have to press in past 00:35:53.880 --> 00:35:56.739 all the noise of the environment. How many of 00:35:56.739 --> 00:35:58.420 you know if you're going to be kingdom minded, 00:35:58.639 --> 00:36:01.579 there's so much noise about the world and its 00:36:01.579 --> 00:36:04.920 kingdoms. Like 24 -7. And you're having to sort 00:36:04.920 --> 00:36:07.739 through all the voices to hear the still small 00:36:07.739 --> 00:36:27.510 voice. You're going to have to press in. So me 00:36:27.510 --> 00:36:29.309 and my buddy, we've been talking about the kingdom, 00:36:29.369 --> 00:36:31.590 just hanging out together, one of my closest 00:36:31.590 --> 00:36:34.130 friends, stirring each other up for the kingdom. 00:36:35.190 --> 00:36:39.550 We've been talking about, it's our goal to find 00:36:39.550 --> 00:36:42.489 someone every day to pray for, to release the 00:36:42.489 --> 00:36:44.750 power of the kingdom, share the love of God, 00:36:44.909 --> 00:36:46.949 and look for a potential to share the gospel 00:36:46.949 --> 00:36:50.949 every day. And there's been days of total failure. 00:36:51.150 --> 00:36:53.469 There's been some good days. We get together 00:36:53.469 --> 00:36:58.119 and we talk about it. The tendency is to say, 00:36:58.300 --> 00:37:03.480 well, God... We talk about this openly. The tendency 00:37:03.480 --> 00:37:05.719 is to say, God, when You have somebody You want 00:37:05.719 --> 00:37:09.199 me to pray for, I know the Holy Spirit will make 00:37:09.199 --> 00:37:12.280 it clear and in that moment, I'll know and I'll 00:37:12.280 --> 00:37:14.340 have everything I need. And that's absolutely 00:37:14.340 --> 00:37:18.179 true. But there's some of that that's an immature 00:37:18.179 --> 00:37:20.199 son or daughter that says, I'm going to wait 00:37:20.199 --> 00:37:22.300 for my Father to set up the perfect solution. 00:37:23.019 --> 00:37:25.579 and the heavens open up, and I know this is the 00:37:25.579 --> 00:37:28.840 moment. How many of you love your children even 00:37:28.840 --> 00:37:30.940 when you have to tell them everything they ever 00:37:30.940 --> 00:37:34.460 do? You love them. But isn't it glorious in that 00:37:34.460 --> 00:37:36.840 moment when they take initiative and just do 00:37:36.840 --> 00:37:39.440 what's in your heart without having to be told? 00:37:40.079 --> 00:37:43.019 And there's something about maturity in the kingdom 00:37:43.019 --> 00:37:47.099 that says, no, I'm pressing into it. Yeah, there'll 00:37:47.099 --> 00:37:50.420 be times where all heaven opens up. You know, 00:37:50.420 --> 00:37:53.360 and it's my moment to release the kingdom. Yeah, 00:37:53.440 --> 00:37:57.099 there is. And then the other 999 times is going 00:37:57.099 --> 00:37:59.280 to be the time you're going to have to have kingdom 00:37:59.280 --> 00:38:02.340 perception. You're going to be looking for the 00:38:02.340 --> 00:38:04.519 kingdom. Like the Apostle Paul says, I no longer 00:38:04.519 --> 00:38:08.679 regard you in the flesh. I don't even look at 00:38:08.679 --> 00:38:10.800 people in the flesh anymore. Everything's with 00:38:10.800 --> 00:38:12.800 the spiritual eye. Everything's about the kingdom. 00:38:14.139 --> 00:38:16.880 Immature people say, Jesus, when you make it 00:38:16.880 --> 00:38:21.619 perfect, I'm going to obey you. Mature kingdom 00:38:21.619 --> 00:38:24.980 people say, the kingdom is my life. I'm always 00:38:24.980 --> 00:38:28.219 looking. I'm always ready. And I will press into 00:38:28.219 --> 00:38:32.300 it at any given moment. I think on that day, 00:38:32.400 --> 00:38:38.079 Jesus, you would rather hear Jesus say, Son, 00:38:38.139 --> 00:38:40.760 that was glorious. I had to hold you back those 00:38:40.760 --> 00:38:42.539 days when you were getting after it a little 00:38:42.539 --> 00:38:45.739 too much for my kingdom. You went a little too 00:38:45.739 --> 00:38:49.320 far. I had to pull you back. I would much rather 00:38:49.320 --> 00:38:54.079 hear that than say, where was your initiative 00:38:54.079 --> 00:38:57.099 in the kingdom? Every day you were invited to 00:38:57.099 --> 00:39:02.280 press into it. Do you know what I'm saying? There's 00:39:02.280 --> 00:39:05.760 a growing up process that says I will violently 00:39:05.760 --> 00:39:09.880 be intentional about pressing into the kingdom 00:39:09.880 --> 00:39:22.610 of heaven on the earth. Got four minutes. Would 00:39:22.610 --> 00:39:24.289 you give me those four minutes to close here? 00:39:25.070 --> 00:39:28.110 Number six, the kingdom of heaven is supernatural, 00:39:28.210 --> 00:39:34.710 which means above this earth. So we should stop 00:39:34.710 --> 00:39:37.489 attempting to perceive it by human logic and 00:39:37.489 --> 00:39:40.670 worldly understanding. Instead, we must press 00:39:40.670 --> 00:39:44.969 into it with faith and the expectation of the 00:39:44.969 --> 00:39:48.429 miraculous. Look at what Jesus says in v. 13. 00:39:48.989 --> 00:39:51.750 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until 00:39:51.750 --> 00:39:54.969 John. And if you are willing to accept it, he 00:39:54.969 --> 00:39:58.809 is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, 00:39:58.929 --> 00:40:05.849 let him hear. Let me just finish this up. To 00:40:05.849 --> 00:40:07.949 what can I compare this generation? They are 00:40:07.949 --> 00:40:10.010 like children sitting in the marketplace and 00:40:10.010 --> 00:40:12.590 calling out to others. We played the flute for 00:40:12.590 --> 00:40:15.949 you and you did not dance. We sang a dirge and 00:40:15.949 --> 00:40:19.800 you did not mourn. For John came neither eating 00:40:19.800 --> 00:40:22.099 nor drinking, and they said, He has a demon. 00:40:22.239 --> 00:40:24.500 And the Son of Man came eating and drinking, 00:40:24.519 --> 00:40:27.119 and they say, Here is a glutton and a drunkard, 00:40:27.159 --> 00:40:30.460 a friend of tax collectors and sinners. But wisdom 00:40:30.460 --> 00:40:35.039 is proved right by her actions. What is Jesus 00:40:35.039 --> 00:40:38.380 talking about with the whole Elijah thing? Well, 00:40:38.480 --> 00:40:41.139 if you look at the last thing that God released 00:40:41.139 --> 00:40:44.219 on the earth in the Old Testament, Malachi chapter 00:40:44.219 --> 00:40:49.760 4, that before the Messiah comes, Elijah will 00:40:49.760 --> 00:40:53.940 come first. So for 400 years, the Jewish religious 00:40:53.940 --> 00:40:57.119 community has been saying, before the Messiah 00:40:57.119 --> 00:40:59.900 comes, we're going to see Elijah. Elijah's coming 00:40:59.900 --> 00:41:02.119 first. At the Passover, there's always what? 00:41:02.239 --> 00:41:05.619 A chair open for Elijah. Elijah's coming before 00:41:05.619 --> 00:41:08.079 the Messiah. Elijah's coming before Messiah. 00:41:08.880 --> 00:41:12.000 And here comes Jesus, who's claiming to be the 00:41:12.000 --> 00:41:16.659 Messiah, and we haven't seen Elijah yet. In fact, 00:41:16.659 --> 00:41:19.960 this is so forefront in their thinking that if 00:41:19.960 --> 00:41:22.519 you read the transfiguration of Jesus a couple 00:41:22.519 --> 00:41:25.420 of chapters later in Matthew, Jesus takes His 00:41:25.420 --> 00:41:29.719 disciples, His favorite ones, can we say that? 00:41:30.559 --> 00:41:36.260 I mean, the three He took with Him to places 00:41:36.260 --> 00:41:38.940 He never took anybody else. Anybody want to be 00:41:38.940 --> 00:41:43.940 Jesus' favorite? It says, by the fear of the 00:41:43.940 --> 00:41:50.619 Lord. we will be His confidant. Side note, Jesus 00:41:50.619 --> 00:41:53.639 takes him up on the mountain. He's literally 00:41:53.639 --> 00:41:57.679 transfigured, becomes His glorious self. The 00:41:57.679 --> 00:41:59.900 self that we're going to experience in heaven. 00:42:00.619 --> 00:42:05.659 Moses is there. Elijah's there. Peter's saying, 00:42:05.739 --> 00:42:08.719 this is so awesome, let's build some tents and 00:42:08.719 --> 00:42:15.760 live here. I'd have said the same thing. On the 00:42:15.760 --> 00:42:20.340 way down the mountain, read it. It's interesting. 00:42:20.539 --> 00:42:22.440 On the way down the mountain, you know what the 00:42:22.440 --> 00:42:25.440 disciples asked? They just saw Jesus transfigured. 00:42:25.519 --> 00:42:27.980 They saw Moses and Elijah on the mountain. You 00:42:27.980 --> 00:42:29.679 know what they asked Jesus on the way down the 00:42:29.679 --> 00:42:33.400 mountain? But the Pharisees say that Elijah has 00:42:33.400 --> 00:42:39.400 to come first. And Jesus said, if you can accept 00:42:39.400 --> 00:42:44.179 it, John is the Elijah that has come. To prepare 00:42:44.179 --> 00:42:49.119 the way. What's Jesus saying? This kingdom cannot 00:42:49.119 --> 00:42:53.420 be perceived by your natural logic or religious 00:42:53.420 --> 00:42:58.980 intellect. This kingdom is perceived by the revelation 00:42:58.980 --> 00:43:03.099 of Jesus, the King. It has to be seen with the 00:43:03.099 --> 00:43:05.699 spiritual eyes. It has to be heard with the spiritual 00:43:05.699 --> 00:43:08.159 ears. That's why Jesus said, if anybody has ears, 00:43:08.260 --> 00:43:10.940 let them hear. Hey, I got news for you. Everybody 00:43:10.940 --> 00:43:13.599 there had ears. But that's not what Jesus is 00:43:13.599 --> 00:43:17.179 saying. He's saying, whoever has a spiritual 00:43:17.179 --> 00:43:21.679 ear to the Spirit of God will hear what I'm trying 00:43:21.679 --> 00:43:26.820 to convey about this kingdom. The kingdom of 00:43:26.820 --> 00:43:30.079 heaven is supernatural. It's above the earth. 00:43:30.099 --> 00:43:33.639 It's above nature. We should stop attempting 00:43:33.639 --> 00:43:36.659 to perceive it by human logic and worldly understanding. 00:43:36.880 --> 00:43:40.699 Instead, we must press into it with faith and 00:43:40.699 --> 00:43:46.019 the expectation, Of the miraculous. Who will 00:43:46.019 --> 00:43:48.760 take a hold of the life that Jesus has given 00:43:48.760 --> 00:43:51.079 you and say, I'm going to stop looking at everything 00:43:51.079 --> 00:43:53.300 in the natural and I'm going to start seeing 00:43:53.300 --> 00:43:57.320 in the spiritual eyes. How many of you know the 00:43:57.320 --> 00:44:00.980 Bible says you have the very mind of Christ through 00:44:00.980 --> 00:44:08.639 the Holy Spirit? The mind of Christ Himself. 00:44:14.000 --> 00:44:17.699 And yet, when calamity comes or frustration or 00:44:17.699 --> 00:44:20.960 hardship or whatever it may be, in an instant 00:44:20.960 --> 00:44:23.679 we switch to carnal mindset. Like, how am I going 00:44:23.679 --> 00:44:29.440 to fix this? This happened to me yesterday. Saturday, 00:44:29.539 --> 00:44:32.719 it's our Sabbath. Got a fun day planned. Just 00:44:32.719 --> 00:44:37.019 chilling out. Played Monopoly. Watched movies. 00:44:37.199 --> 00:44:40.559 Ate good food. Hung out as a family. Refused 00:44:40.559 --> 00:44:47.019 to leave the house. Glorious. Well, about mid 00:44:47.019 --> 00:44:50.400 -morning, one of my kids outside in the yard 00:44:50.400 --> 00:44:55.760 throws up. Sick. Throws up in the yard. That 00:44:55.760 --> 00:44:58.539 rarely happens. We are not a throwing up kind 00:44:58.539 --> 00:45:01.400 of people. In fact, I have one kid that's so 00:45:01.400 --> 00:45:06.340 strong -willed, can will themselves not to throw 00:45:06.340 --> 00:45:10.320 up. It's really impressive. So, comes inside. 00:45:10.460 --> 00:45:13.360 This child is colorless. Throwing up outside. 00:45:14.519 --> 00:45:18.599 goes, lays in their bed, and immediately I'm 00:45:18.599 --> 00:45:23.159 like, alright. Man, day's shot. There goes our 00:45:23.159 --> 00:45:26.699 fun day. There goes the Sabbath. We lay around 00:45:26.699 --> 00:45:29.239 and try not to get the rest of us sick. What 00:45:29.239 --> 00:45:32.960 can I call? Who can I call? What medication can 00:45:32.960 --> 00:45:36.099 I get? I mean, you know, a dad. It's going to 00:45:36.099 --> 00:45:37.659 dad mode. Just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. 00:45:39.340 --> 00:45:44.539 The Spirit of God says to me, Think like the 00:45:44.539 --> 00:45:51.039 kingdom. So I go to my child. I said, hey, let's 00:45:51.039 --> 00:45:53.400 agree together. Jesus has given us total authority 00:45:53.400 --> 00:45:58.400 over this sickness. Complete authority. So a 00:45:58.400 --> 00:46:01.860 kid's laying in the bed. Put my hand on that 00:46:01.860 --> 00:46:05.079 child. Start just praying in the name of Jesus. 00:46:05.139 --> 00:46:07.900 Not long, not fancy. Take authority in Jesus' 00:46:08.079 --> 00:46:12.739 name. Say rest. Walk out of the room. Not 30 00:46:12.739 --> 00:46:16.099 minutes later, that child comes into the living 00:46:16.099 --> 00:46:20.119 room with a granola bar, full color, saying, 00:46:20.199 --> 00:46:24.500 I'm hungry. Got to whoop that child in Monopoly. 00:46:26.940 --> 00:46:29.880 Got to watch a movie together. Spent the whole 00:46:29.880 --> 00:46:33.920 day relaxing, enjoying. Some of you are like, 00:46:34.019 --> 00:46:36.860 hey, Jesse, not that big a deal. It's a tummy 00:46:36.860 --> 00:46:42.289 bug. You've got to steward the small moments. 00:46:44.409 --> 00:46:46.650 If you want to be ready to be kingdom minded 00:46:46.650 --> 00:46:51.190 in the big ones. You know what I'm saying? I'm 00:46:51.190 --> 00:46:54.250 studying this morning to preach this message 00:46:54.250 --> 00:46:58.510 on this point right here. And I get a text from 00:46:58.510 --> 00:47:01.809 my son who's in the Navy in San Antonio. And 00:47:01.809 --> 00:47:04.329 this disastrous thing has happened to him. This 00:47:04.329 --> 00:47:07.449 is like 6 o 'clock in the morning. He texts. 00:47:08.730 --> 00:47:10.909 I'm not going to go into his business, but it's 00:47:10.909 --> 00:47:14.210 a big deal has happened to him. And he's in complete 00:47:14.210 --> 00:47:19.769 despair. So I go to type back, well, maybe. And 00:47:19.769 --> 00:47:23.150 the Lord just speaks to me. No, we live in the 00:47:23.150 --> 00:47:27.650 kingdom. And so I authoritatively prayed through 00:47:27.650 --> 00:47:31.630 text that this issue would be resolved today 00:47:31.630 --> 00:47:35.969 in the authority of Christ and quickly. I'm telling 00:47:35.969 --> 00:47:39.860 you, not 15 minutes later, He texts, and it had 00:47:39.860 --> 00:47:48.980 been resolved. All I'm saying is, you know me. 00:47:50.599 --> 00:47:52.960 Let's clap. I've got 10 ,000 failures we could 00:47:52.960 --> 00:47:55.460 talk about. About how I missed the kingdom all 00:47:55.460 --> 00:47:58.320 last week. But what I'm sharing with you is that 00:47:58.320 --> 00:48:02.880 what I'm trying to do is I'm trying to no longer 00:48:02.880 --> 00:48:08.289 perceive the world in a worldly way. In every 00:48:08.289 --> 00:48:11.510 person and every situation, I'm trying to perceive 00:48:11.510 --> 00:48:15.389 through the Kingdom of Heaven how Jesus can I 00:48:15.389 --> 00:48:18.610 bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the earth right 00:48:18.610 --> 00:48:23.510 now for the glory of Your name. You have to begin 00:48:23.510 --> 00:48:29.150 to perceive it that way. So, thank you for your 00:48:29.150 --> 00:48:32.110 patience. Could we stand? And I want to give 00:48:32.110 --> 00:48:39.349 you this opportunity to respond. Can I just put 00:48:39.349 --> 00:48:42.730 a call out there right now for anybody that would 00:48:42.730 --> 00:48:45.250 like to repent, that would like to change the 00:48:45.250 --> 00:48:48.389 way you think according to the Word of God, and 00:48:48.389 --> 00:48:52.050 maybe you've been perceiving the kingdom of heaven 00:48:52.050 --> 00:48:55.849 in a passive way, like just whenever it's convenient, 00:48:56.050 --> 00:48:58.570 or that's only for the fanatical Christians, 00:48:58.750 --> 00:49:01.869 or whatever lie the enemy is throwing at you, 00:49:01.909 --> 00:49:05.309 and you want to repent and say, no, the kingdom, 00:49:06.670 --> 00:49:11.590 is my destiny in God. It's why I'm still alive. 00:49:12.269 --> 00:49:14.690 Otherwise, when I got saved, I would have been 00:49:14.690 --> 00:49:18.710 raptured from the earth. If you need to repent, 00:49:18.929 --> 00:49:23.690 would you just commit to the Lord? I will violently 00:49:23.690 --> 00:49:28.610 press myself into Your kingdom because You're 00:49:28.610 --> 00:49:33.489 worthy. If you've been storing up for yourself 00:49:33.489 --> 00:49:36.150 treasures on the earth and have forgiven... completely 00:49:36.150 --> 00:49:39.170 neglected the Kingdom of Heaven, would you just 00:49:39.170 --> 00:49:43.670 repent today? I'm with you. I already have. It's 00:49:43.670 --> 00:49:56.610 easy to do in our culture. For some of you, you 00:49:56.610 --> 00:50:00.090 are analytical thinkers and it's extremely difficult 00:50:00.090 --> 00:50:07.480 to lay down some of the the intellectual thought 00:50:07.480 --> 00:50:12.480 processes of logic and religion. Human religion 00:50:12.480 --> 00:50:14.780 I'm speaking of, not divine religion which is 00:50:14.780 --> 00:50:16.599 taking care of widows and orphans and keeping 00:50:16.599 --> 00:50:19.960 yourself from being defiled by the world. I'm 00:50:19.960 --> 00:50:23.980 talking about human constructs. Would you just 00:50:23.980 --> 00:50:28.219 be willing to say, Lord, if this is true of me, 00:50:28.340 --> 00:50:32.360 I want to surrender it to You. I want to stop 00:50:32.360 --> 00:50:35.929 perceiving the world in the eyes of the world 00:50:35.929 --> 00:50:40.050 or through the eyes, and I want to begin to have 00:50:40.050 --> 00:50:50.550 a kingdom perception. If you'd like to, put your 00:50:50.550 --> 00:50:52.489 hands out in front of you in a receiving posture. 00:50:52.769 --> 00:50:54.889 I just want to pray this over my heart and yours. 00:50:55.969 --> 00:50:58.630 Father, would You give us an awareness of Your 00:50:58.630 --> 00:51:01.869 kingdom everywhere we go this week? And would 00:51:01.869 --> 00:51:08.300 You... raise up in us an expectation of Your 00:51:08.300 --> 00:51:13.780 miraculous glory everywhere You send us. Do you 00:51:13.780 --> 00:51:16.699 receive that today? Amen.